NEARLY A QUARTER OF BRITS MISS OUT ON BLACK FRIDAY DEALS DUE TO SLOW BROADBAND
While Black Friday is the biggest online shopping moment of the year, millions of Brits are being let down by the thing powering it all – their broadband.
New national research from full fibre broadband provider LightSpeed has revealed that 16 million UK shoppers (23% of Brits who shop online) admit they’ve missed out on a limited-time deal, event or experience because their internet connection was too slow or unreliable.
And it’s not just Black Friday bargains that are lost, as sluggish broadband has also stood in the way of concert tickets (23%), sports event seats (6%) and even flight bookings (6%) – as patchy connections stop people from completing time-sensitive purchases.
Beyond shopping, slow speeds are sabotaging many of Britain’s online moments. Three in 10 (31%) say their broadband has interrupted them while streaming a film or TV show, while 17% have been cut off mid-meeting, and a further 17% have dropped out during a live sports stream.
With so much riding on reliable connection, LightSpeed is encouraging households to think carefully about the broadband behind their Black Friday buys. Keeping up with the growing demand of online shopping, streaming and smart tech, its packages offer speed, reliability and value designed to give modern homes a dependable connection they can trust at the moments that matter.
When it comes to online shopping frustrations, poor broadband is the silent culprit behind the countless checkout collapses. A third of Brits (34%) have watched websites fail to load in time, while one in four (26%) have had payments time out mid-purchase. A further quarter (25%) say their page froze at checkout, while one in 10 (10%) saw a deal expire before it even loaded – all thanks to unreliable connections at the worst possible moments.
Ironically, while broadband continues to hold shoppers back, tech remains the top Black Friday buy for many.
This year, 42% of Brits say they’ll be buying technology devices such as TVs, phones and laptops, beating out popular categories like fashion (30%), beauty (23%) and homeware (18%). What’s more, 28% plan to snap up household electricals, showing just how central smart tech has become to modern homes.
When it comes to what’s topping the nation’s tech wish lists this year, the most in-demand Black Friday products include:
Ninja Air Fryer (6.2%)
iPhone 17 (5%)
AirPods (4.6%)
Nintendo Switch 2 (4.1%)
iPad (4.1%)
Shark Vacuum Cleaner (3.6%)
Ring Doorbell (3.1%)
Amazon Kindle (2.8%)
PlayStation 5 Pro (2.7%)
Samsung Galaxy S25 (2.7%)
While many of these products rely on fast, reliable broadband to perform at their best, only 4% of Brits plan to upgrade their broadband this Black Friday – meaning many households could end up with smart tech powered by slow speeds.
Brett Shepherd, Group CEO at LightSpeed, said: “Every November, we see people rushing to upgrade their gadgets, but the thing that makes all that tech work is often overlooked. We’re all too familiar with the frustration of slow broadband stopping us from obtaining the online deals we’re trying to shop!
“At LightSpeed, we believe faster, fairer broadband should be accessible to every home and business. This Black Friday, we’re helping people make that switch with deals designed to deliver real value, because great tech deserves great connectivity.”
To help households stay connected and save, LightSpeed’s Black Friday offer includes full fibre broadband starting at just £20.99 per month on its ultra-fast fibre residential packages, and £39.99 per month for businesses.
Every package includes no mid-contract price hikes, UK-based customer support, and speeds of up to 2Gbps available across selected areas, giving customers the confidence of reliable connectivity without the confusing bundles or hidden fees often found elsewhere. By combining full-fibre performance with fair pricing, it offers a clear and trustworthy alternative to legacy providers.
As an added bonus, customers can also benefit from a discounted eero 7 Mesh add-on for just £5 extra per month (usually £6.99). It’s a simple way to boost whole-home connection if your Wi-Fi struggles to reach certain rooms, so shoppers can secure ultra-reliable coverage and make the most out of the smart devices on this year’s Black Friday lists.
